[redpoint5]

I'm highly dubious as to the cost/benefit proposition of subsidizing various things. There's people like my dad and I that just can't say no to free stuff, even when we don't need it. We both have CFLs, low flow showerheads, low flow faucet aerators, etc laying around that will never get used. Then we both took advantage of various solar subsidies. The outdoor thermostat will never notice in the least the thousands others gave us to reduce our electric bill.

Home improvement stores charge too much for stuff like foam and weather stripping. It would be trivial for any income level to purchase such stuff if they were priced anywhere near the close to nothing it costs to manufacture... it would never pay back unless there was a major leak at current prices. Then there's the fact that most can't be bothered to do 10min of work when instead they could sit on the couch.

So, they need free weather stripping, tools to do the job, and motivation to do it.